Amazing Care Home Activities for Mother’s Day

Care home activities mothers day

In this blog Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC shares some Care home activities mothers day

Care home residents will be allowed to have a regular indoor visitor from 8 March as part of the government’s plan to ease lockdown in England. One nominated person will be allowed to visit someone in a care home, but must take a coronavirus lateral flow test before entry and wear personal protective equipment (PPE). This may mean that some children may be able to visit their mother’s living in care homes this year for mother’s day this year on Sunday 14th March, although with restrictions of one nominated person to be able to visit this will not extend to all children.

Here we share some ideas on how activity coordinators and care teams can ensure that mother’s day can still be celebrated for mother’s living in care homes.

If your care home has a policy with incoming mail having to be quarantined for 72 hours previous to being opened make sure all families if not already aware are reminded to make sure their mother can enjoy opening their card or gift on the day.

One care home activity mothers day, You could work towards creating shared virtual experiences by encouraging families to share their mother’s favourite pastimes on a phone call or video call. For example if their mother enjoys listening to a particular piece of music this could be played down the telephone and both parties could just sit and listen to the music and enjoy being present in the same moment together.

Although if your resident prefers a good game of chess why not encourage all parties to play a game virtually over Zoom. You could ask the family to send in a chess board and purchase one for themselves and play the game together in real time. The resident may need support in having the other chess pieces moved so the games mirror so may require one to one support. This could work with card games and other board games to.

If your resident is a fan of literature perhaps encourage their family to read to them an except of their favourite story or poem down the phone to them, thus creating another meaningful memorable shared experience.

It is also important to remember that not everyone is a mother, but everyone has, or has had, a mother and this to should be celebrated.

Mother’s Day brings about many emotions, specifically for those who have lost their mother or a child. Honour them this Mother’s Day by helping your residents to create cards or write letters for lost loved ones. Once made the cards could be displayed if the resident feels it appropriate or both the letters and cards sealed in an envelope with ribbon wrapped around and hung on a tree inside or outside so that they know their loved one has been remembered with highest regards,

The act of writing a letter to a loved one who has passed can be powerful. It stimulates touch and sight sensors and involves concentration, thinking, and memory.

You could also take time to remember with your residents, smells, songs, food that remind them on their mother. This could be a two part activity where you take time to find out what smells, foods and songs that remind them of their mother, and then source their suggestions ready to present to them another time. This could be an activity that offers sensory stimulation and help your residents relax and improve their overall mood and self esteem.

Maybe all the lovely memories and words shared could be then be collated and written into a group poem.

Your residents of course deserve to be spoilt on Mother’s Day why not work with your catering team or with your residents if permitted to make some scrumptious chocolates using this Ice Cube Tray Chocolates , find a recipe here .

If you are an activity coordinator looking for more ideas join our free Facebook group Activity Ideas for Activity Coordinators

Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC run weekly Keep Dancing classes, suitable for older adults across, Birmingham, Solihull, Walsall, Sandwell and online. Keep Dancing will teach you dances from around the world with no need for a dance partner. Find your nearest Keep Dancing class here.     

Xpress-Yourself Dance CIC also runs classes to support carers in Birmingham thanks to Funding from Forward Carers CIC. Find out more about our Keep Dancing for carers here

Keep Dancing!